The invention addresses a door handle assembly for a motor vehicle having a frame-like handle mounting, a manually actuatable operating handle, which is moveably supported on the handle mounting for the opening of a door or hatch of the motor vehicle by a user, a coupling device pivotally supported on the handle mounting, by means of which a movement of the operating handle can be transferred to a vehicle-side closing assembly, and a locking device serving as a mass locking device, which is moveably retained on the handle mounting and is designed such that, with the effect of an acceleration force, it can be moved, due to the inertia of its mass, from a resting position, in which an actuation of the operating handle is possible, in a first blocking direction, in which an actuation of the closing assembly by means of the operating handle and/or the coupling device is blocked.
Door handle assemblies of this type, having a locking device serving as a mass locking device, are intended to prevent the acceleration forces occurring during an accident from leading to an actuation of the operating handle, or the door handle, respectively, and resulting in an unintended opening of the door of the motor vehicle, which is accompanied by significant risks for a passenger in the vehicle. With typical door handle assemblies for motor vehicles, the handle components that are to be actuated by a user are mechanically coupled to a vehicle-side closing assembly (the actual door locking device). The movement of the door handle, or the operating handle, respectively, is transferred to the closing assembly by means of the coupling device, and the door can open. In the case of an accident, the acceleration forces act, in unfavorable conditions, in the manner of an actuation of the handle components by a user, because the handle can be accelerated in the opening direction due to inertia. With an operating handle, or a door handle, respectively, without a corresponding locking device, the movement of the handle components in relation to the vehicle leads to a transference to the closing assembly in the vehicle via the mechanical coupling device, and to a releasing of the door. An example scenario for such a situation is normally a lateral impact with an obstacle or another vehicle. A locking device of this type, serving as a mass locking device, which is also referred to as a crash lock, is known for door handle assemblies from the prior art.
By way of example, DE 199 29 022 C2 describes a corresponding mass locking device in the form of a pivotal locking member, which is intended to prevent an actuation of the handle in the event of crash. In the case of an accident, forces are exerted on a locking member, and an unintended movement of the handle, likewise caused by the forces acting thereon, is blocked. A door handle assembly is also known, for example, from DE 10 2009 053 553 A1. With this door handle assembly, an additional force acts on the operating handle, or the door handle, respectively, by means of a crash lock, by means of which an unintended movement of the operating handle is to be prevented.
A door handle assembly of the type indicated in the introduction, having a locking device designed in the form of a crash lock is known, for example, from DE 10 2008 000 098 A1.
Known crash locks of this type can be designed as a pendulum mass, such that the crash lock is displaced into the movement path of the operating handle as the result of the force acting on it, thus blocking the operating handle. In addition, there are also known crash locks that lock in a blocking position, and after their activation and locking in position, can only be deactivated again by means of a targeted intervention in the door handle unit, such that the door handle can again be used in the normal operation thereof.
With door handle assemblies known from the prior art, having a mass locking device, or a locking device, respectively, which do not lock in position when activated, but instead return, or swing back, respectively, to their normal operating position, or resting position, there is the disadvantage that, with the effects of acceleration forces, the locking device can oscillate, or swing back and forth, respectively. As is known from accident research results, alternating acceleration forces may occur during a lateral collision, which lead to a type of fluttering of the door handle assembly, thus to a back and forth oscillation. This fluttering or oscillation is responsible for the locking device being able to become disposed in a position during the swinging procedure, in which the operating handle, or the coupling device, respectively, is not blocked, despite the crash. This is because the known locking devices are only active in a relatively small locking path range, or displacement path range, which blocks an actuation of the coupling device designed as a displacement lever, or the operating handle, respectively, such that, with either strong and pronounced oscillations, or with oscillations lasting over a long period of time as the result of the effects of acceleration forces, there is the danger that with a locking device oscillating, or swinging, respectively, back and forth, the displacement path range is not long enough to securely prevent a blocking [sic: actuation? (translator's note)] of the operating handle, or the displacement lever. As a result, in the event of a crash the locking device can assume a position during the oscillation process, despite its activation, in which it does not block the operating handle, or the displacement lever. It is furthermore disadvantageous that the known door handle assemblies, having a crash lock, are configured solely for an acceleration force directed toward the interior of the vehicle. An acceleration force in the opposite direction is not taken into account, although it too can have an effect resulting in an undesired actuation of the operating handle.